Within the Law: From the Play of Bayard Veiller

riod wrought transformations of radical and bewildering sort in both the appearance and the character of the girl. Joe Garson, the forger, had long been acquainted wit

lights. He was relieved rather than otherwise to learn that there was already an acquaintance between the two women, and the fact that his charge had served time in prison did not influence him one jot against her. On the contrary, it incr

he funds of Joe Garson, Mary found herself living in luxurious idleness, while her every wish could be gratified by the merest mention of it. She was fed on the daintiest of fare, for Aggie was a sybarite in all sensuous pleasures that were apart from sex. She was clothed with the most delicate richness for the first time as to those more mysterious garments which women love, and she soon had a variety of frocks as charming as her graceful form demanded. In addition, there were as many of books and magazines as she could wish. Her mind,

y Turner herself, to the great surprise

retain any scruples over it. Back of this lay her bitter sentiment toward the man who had been the direct cause of her imprisonment, Edward Gilder. It seemed to her that the general warfare agains

quence, she felt for the law no genuine respect, only detestation as for the epitome of injustice. Yet, she gave it a superficial respect, born of those three years of suffering which had been the result of the penalty inflicted on her. It was as an effect of this latter feeling that she was determined on one thing of vital importance: that never would she be guilty of anything to pit her against the law's decrees. She had known too many hours of anguish in the doom set on her life because she had been deemed a violator of the law. No, never would she let herself take any position in which the law could a

long as she should keep within the law. There could be no punishment then. That was the lesson taught by the captain in high finance. He was at pains always in

n those limits of wrong-doing permitted by the statutes. For that, the sole requirement would be a lawyer equally unscrupulous and astute. At once, Mary's mind was made up. After all, the th

the girl won him over. The task of convincing him would have been easier had he himself ever known the torment of serving a term in prison. Thus far, however, the forger had always escaped the penalty for his crimes, though often close to conviction. But Mary's arguments were of a compelling sort as she set them forth in detail, and they made their appeal to Garson, who was by no means lacking in a shrewd native intelligenc

thermore, they bound themselves not to engage in any devious business without her consent. Aggie, too, was one of the company thus constituted, but she figured little in the preliminary discussion

the law at any desired point, and after judicious investigation she selected an ambitious and experienced Jew named Sigismund Harris, just in the prime of his mental vigors, who possessed a knowledge of the la

ead was an apartment in the nineties on Riverside Drive, in which the ladies lived alone with two maids to serve them. Garson had rooms in the neighborhood, but Jim Lynch, who persistently refused the c

tement as to the legality of the thing proposed. Mary gratified her eager mind by careful studies in this chosen line of nefariousness. After a few perfectly legal breach-of-promise suits, due to Aggie

as the swindling of a swindler-which, in fact, had

e terms of their agreement, each deposited thirty thousand dollars to the partnership account. This sum of sixty thousand dollars was ostensibly to be devoted to the purchase of a tract of land, which should afterward be divided into lots, and resold to the public at enormous profit. As a matter of fact, the advertiser planned to make a spurious purchase of the tract in question, by means of forged deeds granted by an accomplice, thus making through fraud a neat profit of thirty thousand dollars. The issue was, however, disappointing to him in the extreme. No sooner was the sixty thousand dollars

f innocence. It was probable that he would easily fall a victim to the ingenuous charms of Aggie. As for that precocious damsel, she would run no least risk of destruction by the satyr. So, presently, there were elaborate plottings. General Hastings met Aggie in the most casual way. He was captivated by her freshness and beauty, her demureness, her ignorance of all things vicious. Straightway, he set his snares, being himself alread

secured an introduction to that young man. Forthwith, she showed herself so deliciously womanly, so intelligent, so daintily feminine, so singularly beautiful, that the young man was enamored almost at once. The fact thrilled Mary to the depths of her heart, for in this son

gged on the bed, smoking a cigarette in a very knowing way, while watching Mary, who wa

remarked, affably, with that laxity of lang

Gilder," Mary replied, tranquilly. She vouchsa

he?" Aggie ventur

answer from Mary, as she tilted the pic

do cousi

ought to be chargin' him for his meal-ticket. And yet I ain't

e shone an expression of inscrutable disdain in the viole

e only son!-of Edward Gilder

head in token of complete bafflement. Her r

the men. The way you acted when you first run round with me, I thought you su

regard her friend. But, now, there was something quizzical

el

hook her head

retch for something you didn't do-

There was scorn for such gross

e, as she gave a gasp when suspicion of the t

e in a treble shriek of

tween young Gilder and me is to be strictly my own affair. It has absolutely nothing to do with the rest o

ly, as the other paused. She hope

e severity, "what you meant by talking in the pu

d swiftly its expression from

I only said a few words in passin' to my brother Jim. And he ain't

n air of command now become habitual to her among the members of her cliqu

humor by some subtle quality in the utte

n the best year he ever had," she e

eared sc

emanded, "when the dead

ed. A peal of laughter rang

Jim does sure hate a dull life. Say, he told me they've got a mat at the door with 'Welcome' on it-in letters three feet high. Now, what-do-you-think-of that!" Aggie teetered joyously, the while she inha

ark eyebrows in h

incerity; "I can't quite keep up with your thieves' argot-y

copper's kale," Aggi

er hands in a ge

ost ladylike and mincing air which ill assorted

gance of utterance was inimitably done. But in the next instant, the ordinary vulgarity of enunciation was in full play again. "Oh, Gee!" she cried gaily. "

ry corrected, with

iffed on

ot it, ain't he?" And then she added with avaricious intensity: "

her head

re under my orders now. And as long as you

began to argue with the pe

th a certainty of co

ne," she said gravely, did

wer, spoken a lit

of all, did you have

at more responsively. "But,

give this remarkable young woman some insight into her own point

ted to do, and then they engaged lawyers clever enough to show them how they could do it, and still keep within the law. Any one with brains can get rich in this country if he wil

situation, was moved to a dimpled mirth over

din' it to 'em, an' the bulls can't touch us! Next thing you know, Har

he smiled, but there was a hint of grimness in the bending of her lips. That grimness remained,

o a most important engage